College Football

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[quote]Eielson wrote:
Oklahoma’s passing game is just cursed. The season looks promising to start with the Heisman trophy winner back along with a great tight end and a talented young wide receiver. Then Gresham goes down, but it looks to be alright, just not as great. Then Bradford goes down.

They finally get Landry doing alright, and some other receivers start stepping up, and then BAM! There goes Broyles.[/quote]

Getting Bradford back will help, but I see OU losing a couple more games this year.

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[quote]eic wrote:
tjamesdavis wrote:
Lets go Irish! A win against Washington gets them to 4-1 and into a bye week to rest up a few key players that have been dealing with some injuries. Then it’s a showdown with USC - exactly the kind of legit win ND needs to get back into the top 25.

IDK . . . Notre Dame has been slipping out of every single game by the skin of their teeth. This is going to catch up to them at some point.

[/quote]

oh ya, there is no doubt that they can’t keep going like this. you can’t win 9 or 10 games all with last minute drives. They have to find a way to put the ball in the end zone rather than kicking field goals, too.

I’m just glad that they’re finally gaining confidence and starting to believe in themselves. They are still a very raw team, but being sure of yourself is huge. Jimmy Clausen has come so far and it’s so cool to see him sort of becoming a field general. Granted, they still haven’t played that big name program, so I truly don’t know what to expect. I know they’re not a top-25 team, but I think they have the talent and the potential to be one by the end of the season.

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Florida plays LSU this week, so the rankings will move a bit. I also think Boise State might have a tough time with Tulsa this week.

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[quote]MaximusB wrote:
Florida plays LSU this week, so the rankings will move a bit. I also think Boise State might have a tough time with Tulsa this week. [/quote]

I’m actually considering going to the Tulsa game. I’m with you, I think it will be close.

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I feel that Boise State is due for a loss, I can feel it.

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[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I feel that Boise State is due for a loss, I can feel it. [/quote]

I can definitely see them slipping up (possibly against Tulsa in a couple weeks) but they don’t worry me this year, the next two years are when you really should look out for them, they only have 5 seniors on their team (only 20 juniors as well) this year.

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I think Boise will fade back a few spots, even w/o a loss. Their SOS is just not that great. Glad we got out of the WAC. LSU, Bama, and Florida will beat each other up. What you really need is a UT loss.

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I was dissapointed to see Clemson lose. Their young QB has the potential be really good but I couldn’t name another reciever besides Ford. They use Spiller every play. Is that a talent problem or a scheme problem?

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[quote]Spike9726 wrote:
I was dissapointed to see Clemson lose. Their young QB has the potential be really good but I couldn’t name another reciever besides Ford. They use Spiller every play. Is that a talent problem or a scheme problem?[/quote]

Lots of fans right now are calling for our Offensive Coordinators head, but honestly I don’t think play calling is our biggest problem right now, its execution, we’ve had PLENTY of chances to win the games, and we keep making stupid mistakes (doesn’t matter if its a holding penalty or one of our TWENTY dropped passes this season). The O-line is better than last year, but not by much. Spike, our loss saturday is totally inexcusable, Maryland even tried to give us the win in the 4th by going for it with the lead on their own 30 on 4th and 1 and they didn’t get it. We had 6 plays (count em with two turnovers by Maryland) on their 30 and didn’t gain a SINGLE yard. And we missed two FG’s from that distance as well (3 FG’s total missed in that game by Jackson).

I’m not going to quit on my team, but eventually these damn players have to start playing up to their supposed potential. Heres a stat for you, of the 120 points my team has scored this year, Jackson (kicker) has 54 points, Spiller and Ford combined have 54 points, thats 90% of our points right there. Someone else has gotta step up on offense, otherwise it’s gonna be put 8 in the box to and double cover Spiller and Ford. Even though I’m not gonna quit on my team, I’m NOT happy about that lack of effort saturday. Spiller had a 93 yard kick return for a td, broke 5 tackles, and ran that entire play with 1 shoe on. If my team had half of his toughness right now we’d be a sure 4-1 maybe even possibly 5-0. The losses to GT and to y’all are understand (never happy about losses but can’t be too upset for too long against top 15 teams) but to Maryland leaves no excuse whatsoever. Parker is playing the best he can with receivers who can’t make a catch to save their lives.

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[quote]Spike9726 wrote:
I think Boise will fade back a few spots, even w/o a loss. Their SOS is just not that great. Glad we got out of the WAC. LSU, Bama, and Florida will beat each other up. What you really need is a UT loss. [/quote]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Texas lose one game in their next four. They play Colorado (they should win that game easily), Oklahoma (in Dallas, they’ll probably win but they better be playing loose, just because OU might be down doesn’t mean they won’t show up for a rivalry game), at Missouri (jury is still out on them but they might be able to pull the upset), and at Oklahoma State (I wouldn’t be surprised to see OSU get that win over Texas, they’ve been takin care of business since that Houston loss).

I really don’t see Bama losing at all this year TBH, they look like the only complete team this year that I’ve seen (Florida’s performance against Tennessee definitely exposed them a little bit but until someone knocks them off their still the team to beat, and LSU who knows? They’ve played some close games this year so we’ll see how they do saturday night).

If we see the top 4 teams lose, be ready for surprising matchups that could range from VT against Boise State to even Cincinnati or TCU possibly playing for the national title, anything is possible at this point in the season (heres to hopin TCU gets in their and really pisses off the “power” conferences, it’d be awesome and would give my team a better perception hopefully as the season wears on)

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[quote]Spike9726 wrote:
I think Boise will fade back a few spots, even w/o a loss. Their SOS is just not that great. Glad we got out of the WAC. LSU, Bama, and Florida will beat each other up. What you really need is a UT loss. [/quote]

What, you don’t believe in UC Davis? Seriously, even if Boise doesn’t lose, I can’t see the computers (or people) ranking them ahead of a one-loss USC team with road wins at Ohio St., Cal, Oregon, and Notre Dame (assuming USC can pull those last two off, which is a big “if”).

I have a feeling UT is going to drop a game or two. I just don’t see them getting through Baylor, OSU, OU, Kansas, and A&M without at least one slip-up.

Florida and LSU will knock one or the other out. Florida is the better team, but a night game at LSU is a tough assignment. If LSU keeps winning, I will be a believer.

I am slowly starting to become a believer in Alabama too, which is saying a lot. (Or am I trying reverse psychology on them so they’ll lose now that I’ve given them my endorsement?)

I don’t know what to make of Va Tech. I have a feeling they are vulnerable but they have been doing some pretty impressive things. I need to watch them play more. But having them ranked high can only help my 'Skers, since the one-point road loss doesn’t look so bad now.

Speaking of the Huskers, I am a wee bit nervous about this Thursday’s game. Conference opener on the road at night on primetime. The Huskers need to come out and dominate both lines of scrimmage. I hope Suh puts Gabbert on his ass a time or two.

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[quote]Rocker3829 wrote:
Spike9726 wrote:
I think Boise will fade back a few spots, even w/o a loss. Their SOS is just not that great. Glad we got out of the WAC. LSU, Bama, and Florida will beat each other up. What you really need is a UT loss.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Texas lose one game in their next four. They play Colorado (they should win that game easily), Oklahoma (in Dallas, they’ll probably win but they better be playing loose, just because OU might be down doesn’t mean they won’t show up for a rivalry game), at Missouri (jury is still out on them but they might be able to pull the upset), and at Oklahoma State (I wouldn’t be surprised to see OSU get that win over Texas, they’ve been takin care of business since that Houston loss).

I really don’t see Bama losing at all this year TBH, they look like the only complete team this year that I’ve seen (Florida’s performance against Tennessee definitely exposed them a little bit but until someone knocks them off their still the team to beat, and LSU who knows? They’ve played some close games this year so we’ll see how they do saturday night).

If we see the top 4 teams lose, be ready for surprising matchups that could range from VT against Boise State to even Cincinnati or TCU possibly playing for the national title, anything is possible at this point in the season (heres to hopin TCU gets in their and really pisses off the “power” conferences, it’d be awesome and would give my team a better perception hopefully as the season wears on)[/quote]

Lol. We made substantially similar posts at the same time. GMTA!

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[quote]eic wrote:
Rocker3829 wrote:
Spike9726 wrote:
I think Boise will fade back a few spots, even w/o a loss. Their SOS is just not that great. Glad we got out of the WAC. LSU, Bama, and Florida will beat each other up. What you really need is a UT loss.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Texas lose one game in their next four. They play Colorado (they should win that game easily), Oklahoma (in Dallas, they’ll probably win but they better be playing loose, just because OU might be down doesn’t mean they won’t show up for a rivalry game), at Missouri (jury is still out on them but they might be able to pull the upset), and at Oklahoma State (I wouldn’t be surprised to see OSU get that win over Texas, they’ve been takin care of business since that Houston loss).

I really don’t see Bama losing at all this year TBH, they look like the only complete team this year that I’ve seen (Florida’s performance against Tennessee definitely exposed them a little bit but until someone knocks them off their still the team to beat, and LSU who knows? They’ve played some close games this year so we’ll see how they do saturday night).

If we see the top 4 teams lose, be ready for surprising matchups that could range from VT against Boise State to even Cincinnati or TCU possibly playing for the national title, anything is possible at this point in the season (heres to hopin TCU gets in their and really pisses off the “power” conferences, it’d be awesome and would give my team a better perception hopefully as the season wears on)

Lol. We made substantially similar posts at the same time. GMTA![/quote]

Ditto! Pretty crazy though that we literally had identical posts

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LSU is also due for a loss, I saw their game against Georgia, and they barely, and I mean barely pulled it through at the last minute. I don’t see them beating Texas, and truth be told my Trojans would be better off if LSU lost. Also, I want Florida in the title game, I doubt it will happen this year though.

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[quote]MaximusB wrote:
LSU is also due for a loss, I saw their game against Georgia, and they barely, and I mean barely pulled it through at the last minute. I don’t see them beating Texas, and truth be told my Trojans would be better off if LSU lost. Also, I want Florida in the title game, I doubt it will happen this year though. [/quote]

God we need to find a consistent offense though, Max. If we could reliably score 35 points a game, I would be with you. The defense is playing lights out, but our offense looks awesome and then sputters and then can’t seem to get back on track. Way too many holding penalties (a good number of which are bullshit calls, IMO, further strengthening my suspicion that the Pac-10 officials have had enough of USC’s dominance). Too many overthrows by Barkley. Can someone tell that kid to take a little off the throws? I think I’ve seen him throw like 8 or 9 out routes that were 10 feet above Damian Williams’s head. Losing Stafon is hard because it made a shitty red zone offense even worse. I am worried about Oregon and Notre Dame.

Even as a die-hard USC fan (as evidenced by my avatar), I cannot agree that we deserve to be in the championship game until our offense shows some legitimate consistency against a quality opponent. Notre Dame is that opportunity in my mind. It’s going to be a great game.

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How about that win by the 'Skers! They looked anemic on special teams and offense for 90% of the game, but looked amazing for that last 10%. Gabbert is lucky he didn’t have like 8 pics in that game. Also, the refs made some TERRIBLE calls against Nebraska all game.

Some that jump out: The phantom hands-to-the-face penalty on Suh (very iffy call to make in such a tight game); the horse-collar-tackle penalty against Suh (he clearly had Gabbert by the jersey, not the shoulder pads); ruling that the Mizzou wide receiver made a catch on that diving attempt when the ball very clearly touched the ground and in any event he was clearly out of bounds. I hate refs.

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[quote]eic wrote:
How about that win by the 'Skers! They looked anemic on special teams and offense for 90% of the game, but looked amazing for that last 10%. Gabbert is lucky he didn’t have like 8 pics in that game. Also, the refs made some TERRIBLE calls against Nebraska all game.

Some that jump out: The phantom hands-to-the-face penalty on Suh (very iffy call to make in such a tight game); the horse-collar-tackle penalty against Suh (he clearly had Gabbert by the jersey, not the shoulder pads); ruling that the Mizzou wide receiver made a catch on that diving attempt when the ball very clearly touched the ground and in any event he was clearly out of bounds. I hate refs. [/quote]

I hate refs as well (especially the ACC ones, even with my team losing to Maryland they ruled THIS a TD on REVIEW WTF! Jive Forums 3 )

I actually went and took a shower at the end of the 3rd quarter of that Neb/UM game, and I come back out and it’s 13 to 12 and Neb scores another 2 TDS, thats why you never give up on a game no matter what the score is. Watched the 4th quarter on 360 after the game and wow, they really came out firing that ball.

Bama looks good, even with the 5 FGs they still did not give up a touchdown today (and forced 5 turnovers), while Virginia Tech is looking great as well right now.

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[quote]eic wrote:
MaximusB wrote:
LSU is also due for a loss, I saw their game against Georgia, and they barely, and I mean barely pulled it through at the last minute. I don’t see them beating Texas, and truth be told my Trojans would be better off if LSU lost. Also, I want Florida in the title game, I doubt it will happen this year though.

God we need to find a consistent offense though, Max. If we could reliably score 35 points a game, I would be with you. The defense is playing lights out, but our offense looks awesome and then sputters and then can’t seem to get back on track.

Way too many holding penalties (a good number of which are bullshit calls, IMO, further strengthening my suspicion that the Pac-10 officials have had enough of USC’s dominance). Too many overthrows by Barkley. Can someone tell that kid to take a little off the throws?

I think I’ve seen him throw like 8 or 9 out routes that were 10 feet above Damian Williams’s head. Losing Stafon is hard because it made a shitty red zone offense even worse. I am worried about Oregon and Notre Dame.

Even as a die-hard USC fan (as evidenced by my avatar), I cannot agree that we deserve to be in the championship game until our offense shows some legitimate consistency against a quality opponent. Notre Dame is that opportunity in my mind. It’s going to be a great game. [/quote]

The problems I see with our team, is that we have not yet played a complete game. Not a 4 quarter game. When we do that, we will be complete.

I am sad to see both LSU and Colorado choke this weekend, with them starting their games off pretty strong. LSU hung in their, but their offense could not score. Colorado threw the game away with stupid play by their QB. Someone please send this following piece of advice to all QB’s…

DO NOT THROW OVER THE MIDDLE LATE.

Safeties are playing center field so well that they are just picking everything when you throw late over the middle.

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[quote]MaximusB wrote:

The problems I see with our team, is that we have not yet played a complete game. Not a 4 quarter game. When we do that, we will be complete.

I am sad to see both LSU and Colorado choke this weekend, with them starting their games off pretty strong. LSU hung in their, but their offense could not score. Colorado threw the game away with stupid play by their QB. Someone please send this following piece of advice to all QB’s…

DO NOT THROW OVER THE MIDDLE LATE.

Safeties are playing center field so well that they are just picking everything when you throw late over the middle. [/quote]

Agree completely. I am really hoping this off week has given Bates a chance to open up the offense. If RoJo is back, we’ll have the deep threat to keep the defense more honest. I don’t know why we don’t do more with Havili and McCoy in the red zone.

Fortunately, a number of teams ranked ahead of USC will have some tough games. Texas and OU next week; Bama and Florida in the SEC championship. There is a lot of ball left to play. Speaking of Bama, I am finally a believer. They aren’t flashy, but they do play consistent, solid football. They still haven’t been tested in my opinion, but I think they are legit.

My top five:

  1. Florida
  2. Alabama
  3. Texas
  4. Virginia Tech
  5. USC
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Eic,

My fear is that even though LSU lost last night, they won’t drop very far, I will be curious to see the new rankings. Bama still has Tennessee and LSU, so they might drop still. The only chance I see for Florida to lose is against Georgia, which I don’t see happening. I am kinda pissed that Florida’s non-conference games are Troy, Charleston Southern, Florida International. They might as well be playing high school teams really.

Here is my rant against the Rose Bowl, and I mean the actual stadium. First off, it belongs to those cross city rival sissies UCLA, and rests on the top of a mountain in Pasadena. It is old and dingy. The traffic getting in and out is an absolute nightmare, as it holds 100,000+ people, but has basically 1 road going up and down. We have been there the last 3 years and would like a change of venue.

Just When You Thought You Hung It Up For Good…

I went to the 2007 Rose Bowl game against Michigan which we won. I had an old USC practice jersey of mine on with a blue zip up sweatshirt over it (its all I had at the time.) After the win, I am walking to my car with my then girlfriend, and get some beer thrown on me by some young teenage USC fans. They took my blue sweatshirt as me being a Michigan fan, but were straightened out when I unzipped my sweatshirt and revealed my jersey. I then got to charge the punk who threw beer on me, chasing him around cars until he pleaded with me not to blow him up. Turned a perfectly fun day into me driving home smelling like Coors Light and beer foam in my hair. FML.